Excerpt From The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine and Giveaway!

I’m so thrilled to be hosting C.J. Redwine today on the blog tour for her newest novel in the Ravenspire series, The Wish Granter! I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been counting the days until this book comes out. Luckily, I’ve got a sneak peak that I get to share with all of you today! Enjoy!

An epic fantasy inspired by the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale, about a bastard princess who must take on an evil fae to save her brother’s soul, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Queen.

The world has turned upside down for Thad and Ari Glavan, the bastard twins of Súndraille’s king. Their mother was murdered. The royal family died mysteriously. And now Thad sits on the throne of a kingdom whose streets are suddenly overrun with violence that he can’t stop.

Growing up ignored by the nobility, Ari never wanted to be a proper princess. And when Thad suddenly starts training Ari to take his place, she realizes that her brother’s ascension to the throne wasn’t fate. It was the work of a Wish Granter named Alistair Teague, who tricked Thad into wishing away both the safety of his people and his soul in exchange for the crown.

So Ari recruits the help of Thad’s enigmatic new weapons master, Sebastian Vaughn, to teach her how to fight Teague. With secret ties to Teague’s criminal empire, Sebastian might just hold the key to discovering Alistair’s weaknesses, saving Ari’s brother—and herself.

But Teague is ruthless and more than ready to destroy anyone who dares stand in his way—and now he has his sights set on the princess. And if Ari can’t outwit him, she’ll lose Sebastian, her brother…and her soul.

Exclusive The Wish Granter Excerpt!

“Your Highness!” A man rushed from his spice shop to bow deeply as the girls came abreast of his doorway.

“Edwin, how nice to see you.” Ari beamed at the merchant.

His gaze darted along the street before returning to her. “What are you doing in the market today? Where is Mama Eleni?”

“It’s just us, but we—”

“Come in! No lingering in the streets today.” Edwin all but pulled the girls in the shop. The guards took up their post outside the entrance as Edwin flipped the wooden sign that hung above his display window to Closed and faced the princess.

“What’s wrong?” Ari asked as Cleo made a show of rubbing her wrist as if Edwin’s grasp had hurt her.

“That’s what generally happens after you have a Wednesday,” Cleo muttered.

“We’ll only be a minute,” Ari said, despite the chill that was spreading over her skin at the strange way Edwin was acting. She’d gotten away with lying to Mama Eleni and sneaking out to the market once. The chances of that happening again any time in the next decade were slim to none. And she needed the bloodflower poison. She especially needed it without having to explain why to Cleo’s mother who would undoubtedly try to take on Teague herself for daring to upset her prince and princess.

The inside of the spice shop was cozy and warm. The dark red floor and pale yellow walls glowed in the light of small candelabras spaced throughout, and racks of jars were filled with colorful ground spices and herbs.

“We should do this quickly. What would you like, Your Highness?” Edwin asked, his tone urgent.

Ari frowned. “Why is everyone in such a rush today?”

Edwin shook his head sharply. “Now is not the time to discuss it. Please, Your Highness, tell me what you need.”

Ari met his gaze. “Bloodflower poison.”

He frowned. “If you have rats in your stable, may I suggest monkshood or elderberry?”

“I need bloodflower.” She looked him in the eye. “Nothing else will do.”

He glanced at the window behind her and then motioned sharply for her to come farther into the shop. Cleo and Ari followed as Edwin led them to a small, dusty cabinet in the back. Fishing a key out of his pocket, he fit it into the lock with hands that shook.

“What’s wrong?” Ari asked quietly as the cabinet door swung open with a creak.

“We aren’t supposed to carry bloodflower,” Edwin whispered as he reached into the cabin and pulled out a small red jar sealed with wax . “If anyone finds out I gave this to you . . . Please don’t tell anyone, Your Highness.”

Ari took the jar and slid it into the little satchel hanging from her wrist before pressing a generous amount of coin into Edwin’s hands. “I don’t know who told you that, but bloodflower isn’t against the law. You won’t get in any trouble.”

His smile was a wretched parody of itself. “It isn’t the law I’m worried about.”

The handle on the shop’s front door rattled, and a man called out, “Time to pay your fee, Edwin. Open up.”

“What fee?” Ari looked from the door to Edwin’s stricken face.

The merchant sprang into action. Wrapping a hand around each girl’s arm, he pulled them toward the back exit.

“Your Highness, it isn’t safe on the streets today. You must take your guards and get back to the dock quickly.” He reached for the door. “And, please, don’t tell anyone you were here.”

A dull thud hit the back door, and it flew open with a bang. Edwin stumbled backward, dragging the girls with him, as two of the young men Ari had noticed earlier strode into the shop.

“Why don’t you want anyone to know these pretty little coin purses were here, Edwin?” the taller one asked, his dark eyes boring into the shopkeeper’s face.

The shorter one grinned at Ari, putting what was left of his yellowed teeth on full display. “Looks like nobility to me. Bet someone would pay handsomely to rescue you from where you’re going.”

“No!” Edwin lunged forward as the man reached for Ari, and suddenly there was a wicked-looking knife in the tall one’s hands.

“Step outside, ladies, or I’ll gut Edwin where he stands.” His voice was hard.

The fear that had been slithering over Ari’s skin became a wild rush of panic that shook her knees and turned her fingers cold.

“Please.” Edwin raised his hands in supplication. “Just take my weekly fee. I have it ready for you. Take it and go. These girls mean nothing to you.”

The shorter one sidled up to Cleo and ran his hand up her arm. She flinched and pulled away. Faster than a blink, he whipped his hand into the air and slapped her.

Anger blazed through Ari’s fear, leaving her with nothing but a terrible need to hurt the one who’d laid his hands on her friend. Without a second thought, she balled up her fist and plowed it straight into the middle of his face.

Blood spurted from his nose, and he reached for her, but she’d already grabbed Cleo’s hand and started moving. Together they ran out of the shop and straight into the chest of a thick barrel of a man with graying black hair and close-set eyes.

He grunted and shoved them back into the hands of the two men who’d exited the shop on their heels. “They look like someone would pay their ransom. Teague will be pleased with this catch. Tie them up, put them in the wagon, and then finish collecting the protection fees. We don’t have all day, boys.”

“Teague?” The name left the bitter residue of fear on Ari’s tongue as the young man who held her dragged her away from the spice shop.

“You’re in it now, miss.” The shorter one spat blood on the ground and dug his nails into her arms.

No, she wasn’t. She was the princess and somewhere at the front of the shop, she had a pair of trained guards waiting for her. She just had to make them hear her.

Dragging in a deep breath, she screamed, “Guards!”

Cleo joined her efforts, but the men laughed. The shorter one leaned close enough that Ari choked on the fetid stench of his breath and said, “Haven’t you heard? The city guard has to stand down where Teague’s business is concerned. King’s orders. No one is coming to rescue you, miss.”

She hadn’t been screaming for the city guard, but it didn’t matter. Her guards were too far away to hear her. She’d been a fool to make them stand outside the shop so that they wouldn’t overhear her conversation.

Ari met Cleo’s wild gaze and tried to come up with a plan, but panic clawed at her.

No one was coming to save them.

They were on their own.

About The Shadow Queen

In case you haven’t read the first book in the Ravenspire series, The Shadow Queen, here’s the description and some information, so you can add it to your TBR lists and preorder now!

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.
In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.
But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose.

About C.J. Redwine

C.J. Redwine loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and Sherlock. She is the author of the Defiance trilogy, a post-apocalyptic fantasy from Balzer + Bray. C.J. lives in Nashville with her husband and children. If the novel writing gig ever falls through, she’ll join the Avengers and wear a cape to work every day. To learn more about C.J., visit her website at www.cjredwine.com Where you can find C.J.:

Awww, thank you, lady! And you are just way too cool. 😉 This isn’t my giveaway though, it’s the book tour’s. I’m entering myself! I only have an eARC right now, and I’m dying to have a physical copy of this beauty!